Question: Why did I move to Nashville? Why did I decide to do an Irish album?
Answer: This is not a short answer; it’s a serendipitous journey.
In 2001 I went to Ireland with my brother Patrick. It was a graduation gift to myself and he was already a world traveler with his career after college. I had always wanted to go there considering I grew up with the music and culture and was an Irish dancer at one point. The poetry was the catalyst at that point as well. My relations in my life supported the great poets of the world and my mind was caught in the timeless web of some great pieces. After finishing up my college career as an actor and playing the role of a ghost in “Bloody Poetry” it seemed fitting to visit the green isles where poetry is in the fog lifting from the water, on the tips of tongues of pub patrons, in statues, in castles, in B&B’s, in the gossip, in the folklore, in the schools, in the rolling hills, even in the drink!
My mom wanted to go with me as she was the expert on traveling Ireland. She always encouraged me to study abroad and would have fitted the bill, but I refused as I believed I may not have returned to finish my education. I knew I would fall in love with Ireland.
I flew alone to meet my brother. The travels over a great body of water was a bit daunting, but as soon as I stepped out of the airport, where my brother was waiting for me, I realized I was home. My brother agreed that with all the places he had visited Ireland felt the most like home. So, the seed was planted.
We stayed in Dublin the first couple nights and met some people from Kansas City at the famed Temple Bar. We visited the Guiness Brewery where we enjoyed the tastiest Guiness ever!
Guiness in Dublin
We ate a lot of meat…a lot of meat. In our first night out we watched an intoxicated man get kicked out of the bar because he was “disturbing the peace”. To this day that moment is one of the most vivid and favorite memories! He was talking to us and really not disturbing but entertaining me. He said, “You’re from Americay? Well I am the real thing. I am the real thing. I am Ireland.” When he was asked to leave I begged an autograph in my journal before he left.
the real thing
I watched him walk through the tall wooden doors with the setting sunlight peeking through and as he turned one last time he began to sing, “this land is your land this land is Ireland” with his finger of jupiter pointed to the sky he turned his back to us and went out the door singing that phrase on repeat. Who would’ve ever thought that eight years later I would be recording folk tunes in an Irish album.
We then went to Kilkenny…….
My brother was agitated with finding a place to rest so I was sent into the pub The Witness Box with the threat “hurry up and don’t talk too much just get the room!” I got the room. I listened too much and we made a pub full of friends that night! Adrian had approached me at the bar as I inquired about the B&B above the pub. He told me, “go get da brudder…the lads are staying here tonight.” When my brother walked into the pub ready to give me a tongue lashing of words he was smitten by the welcoming energy of Adrian as was I. Adrian said to my brother, “you made one mistake - you came in here”.
The Witness Box
We stayed that night and passed the guitar and banjo around and sang and laughed and there was a moment of tears as the old man at the end of the bar sang an a’ccapella ballad. A handsome lad sang the most beautiful “Town I Loved So Well”. We stayed two nights and shoved off to Killarney to see Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin perform. My brother was not privy to their music and was doing me a kind favor. We got to meet Mary Chapin. As we walked out of the concert I wolfed down a chocolate bar and with mouth full I struggled to swallow as I shook her hand. The photo is pathetic. I looked guilty of something (chocolate) and she looked like a solid performer on route. The show was brilliant!
We went back to Kilkenny because we made so many friends and had so much fun! Adrian guaranteed a place for me to stay should I come back to visit (which I did 5 months later with the completion of my first original album Sing For You). He assured my brother that I would be in good hands. The time spent in Kilkenny lent me advice through observation. Adrian insisted that I give an open heart to the idea of moving to Nashville. He mentioned his greatest influences in the USA (John Prine, Nanci Griffith, Eva Cassidy). When I returned from Ireland my father started in as well, “you should move to Nashville”. I really never wanted or thought of moving to Nashville, but fate would have it no other way. I became increasingly content with playing music with friends in St. Louis and thought to move to LA but Nashville tugged at me in an almost annoying way. Three trips to Nashville in one year and I still couldn’t see myself living there. Then I got the boot from my mother who impulsively packed up the car for a trip to find an apartment in Nashville. She was the accidental psychic.
I came to Nashville kicking and screaming. While living here each chance encounter led me to the one promise I made to myself, “I will move to Nashville and honor the advice of others. I will not leave Nashville until I have recorded an Irish album (if I don’t get the opportunity in Ireland). ” I retracted on that promise many times and tried to leave Nashville with no accomplishment. I even tried to contact old friends in Kilkenny to record over there. There was a side dream when I was in Ireland I told my friend that we would together record again.
Tom Bailey (DH photo 2001)
When Tom passed away in 2006 I was devastated. I thought he would at least be on some new recordings along with friend Sarah Zagurski (who traveled back to Ireland with me in September 2001). I still had hopes for friends back home, but time stepped in. Coincidentally, I was ending my tour in 2006 when I heard of Tom’s passing. I made an unexpected trip to St. Louis days before my Bluebird debut but little did I know it would be to honor his passing. Dear ones who were with me the day of his funeral were some who supported my first cd release with Tom in Kansas City. Their strength that day carried me: Sarah, my mom, my dad, my uncle Gerald (and my brother Michael who persisted my mind stay with music in creating my logo that same afternoon).
the logo
Back to Nashville I went and watched the Cardinals win the World series while at Brown’s. I performed at the Bluebird and have since met so many more brilliant minds in music! Eight months later Terri (one of the bartenders at Brown’s) asked me to work as a server there. I hesitated on the opportunity and took four days to think it over. After four days I walked into Brown’s on Memorial day and told Ron Kimbro (a kindred Cardinals fan) that I would take the job temporarily. For four months I worked there and grew more comfortable with people I had met. I also grew tired of my stomping ground being a place of work though. When all the other doors had closed I finally got the nerve to raise the stakes. It took me four years in Nashville to lead me to the courage of asking Pat McInerney to produce my Irish album. All the arrows were pointing to one place.
My good friend Roberto Bianco was with me when the lightbulb flashed. I was playing guitar (songs I’ve written and songs I’ve covered). My mind was daydreaming about a new album and I had so many new songs to sift through. Then I said, “I need to do an Irish album. Maybe Pat would be willing to produce it”. Thirty minutes later Roberto said, “I bet Pat is at Brown’s Diner”. There we found many friends including Pat. Roberto told Pat that I had something important to ask. With a happy heart he said “yes” to producing an Irish album. There you have it; the seed was planted and what felt like home to me is now shared with you. I am so happy to have gone through with it!